Christmas-tree holder.



L. E. PINER.

CHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIZ, 1913.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

Zdz'irwuaau a plurality of resilient member's PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHmt E. PINER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHRISTMAS-TREE HOLDER.

1,110,1d2. Specification of Application filed May 12,

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. Pnmma citizen of the United States, andaresichntof Chicago, in the county of-Cook and State of Illin01s,'-have'inventedcertain new and useful "Improvements in Christmas-Tree Holders; and Idohereby deolarejthat the following 4 is a full 'cl'ear, and exactdescription thereof veferencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, andto the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthisspecifinatiorn- .Tbis invention relates to a Christmas treeholder-or'stand. I 7

Among the-objects of-the invention .is to provide a holder or stand thatwill reoeive and support any Christmas tree irrespective of size ofthetr'unk oristemof the same. A jfurther-object ofthe invention is toprovide a tree holder or stand with means that will keep-and maintainthe tree in'al fresh and green state 01''" Condition" duringthe-timethe'tree is-in ueei 1 In its general feetures,--the holder orstand-forming ;thc" subject.maitter of the present invention,'comprisesaportion,

connected with-and rising from'said' base was t n Patented Sept. 8-, 1911933. Serial .No. 766,917.

accompanying drawings, comprises a base portion erribraming a pluralityof radially extending metal arms or bars 10. Said bars 10 are fiat andare arranged'in the same horizontal plane with each other so that thebase of the holder or stand" will. rest or seat itself {firmly o'nthefloor or other supporting surface. from or' eirtending up-- wardly fromthe outer end of each of said base bars 10 and flexibly 'coimoctedtherewith is a metal .braoe member 11. The several brace members 11 areobliquely arranged with 'respeot to the base and, extend inwardly towardeach other. I The upper ends of said brace members 11 are locatedadjacent each other above the center of the base, and are adapted tosurround the trunk of a tree inserted in the holder. The ends of said-=braice membersll are bent to form vertical parts 12which areseparatdfrom each other toiornian opening through stem 13 of the lower Mid -bfsaid tree trunk 13 stands! or rests on the base OizSBdd holderor-stand.Said uprightparts lSZZa-re curved transversely and areiadapted to heplaced in engagement with adapted to engage the trunk-oi? said 'treei ata point above the plane of said baee,vfori maintainiing'tbie tree in anupright position, and a water receptaele mounted on said base I withinsaid :brace members andirr which is? located the lower end of thetrunkof the tree. The lower end'oi the'ftrunk of the tree within saidwater-receptacleis'lpnevent ed from lateral movement with respect tosaid base by means secured to the bottom of said water receptacle andengaging the lower-end or hase-ofsaid tree trunk;

The inventionconsists in the 'matters I hereinafter described :and moreparticularly pointed outin the appended-claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrst ing my invention: Figure 1 is aperspective view 'ofa tree holder or stand constructed in accordancewith my invention; Fig 2 is a section on line 22 of 'Fig. 3; the stem ortrunk of a tree supported by the holder! or stand being shown; Fig. 3 isa plan sec-- her to he hereinafter referred tionon line 33 of Fig '2-;and Fig. tie a perspective view of a flexible binding'mem- 11actingtoomaintai n the'tree-in uprightpo sition. To facilitate theentrance ofvsaid which isadapted to be in$ertedth trunk. Y

the trunk 13 ofsaid. tree, a; a poin tfafbove 1 the plane of said base;the members stem or-t-ru-nk 13 between the brace members 1 1, the upperends of said upright parts '12 are flaredor bent outwardly. (See Fig;2.)

In order to provide means for keeping the ctree'fresh and green andprevent the needles or foliage thereof from "drying up and'falling from.the tree, the lower end or the trunk 13 of the tree extends intoawatert receptacle M which is mounted upon the bars 10 centrally oiand'wrthin said brace l1. Said receptacle 112 is. adapted to containaquantity of water into which the lower end of the trunk "extends.

The base of said tree trunk 13'stands or .rests on the bottom wall 159isaid water receptacle. tothelbottom Wall 15 of said water receptaclewith its pointed\ end uppermost, is a nail or like pointed member 16,adapted to he driven-0r forced into'the base of said tree trunk l3. Suchmember 16 serves to prevent-lateral movement of the trunk with respectto the base of the stand. :Said water receptacle 14 is detachabiy s p-The tree holder or stand, shown in the ported in place .upon said basebars 10 by means of tongues or fingers 17 which extend upwardly from thebars 10 in position to engage the outer wall of said receptacle and areadapted to press yieldingly on or against the latter. As illustrated,and as preferably constructed, said tongues or fingers 17 are madeintegral with and bent upwardly from.

the several bars 10. The water receptacle 14 is large enough to hold asuflicient quantity of water for keeping the tree fresh and green for adesired length of time, but small enough to permit it to be passedbetween any of the two adjacent brace members 11. Said brace members 11being flexibly connected with the said bars 10, the upper ends of saidbrace members may be readily spread apart or moved radially to permitthe insertion of a tree trunk of any usual size therebetween. Said bracemembers 11 being resilient, the upright parts 12.. at the upper endsthereof will yieldingly engage and bear against the trunk of said tree.

The spring action of the braces 11 holds the upright parts 12 constantlyin contact with the stem or trunk 13, but, in order to keep said parts12 constantly and firmly in contact with said trunk and prevent the samefrom spreading or springing outwardly, said parts 12 are held againstsaid trunk by a flexible binding member wrapped about the same. Saidbinding member, as shown in the drawings, has the form of long and shortstrands-18 and 19, both connected with a handle 20. The long strand 18is wrapped one or more times around said parts 12 and the'short strand19 then connected with the long strand thereof by twisting the twostrands together. By turning the handle 20, after the free ends of thetwo strands are twisted together about said parts 12, the strands willbe drawn tightly around the parts encircled thereby. It is obvious that,in lieu of the binding device described, a stout piece of twine may beused;

Inth-especific construction shown in the drawings, the base bars 10 andbrace members 11 are formed by a flat, sheet-metal strip bent into theproper shape to form said parts. The parts of said strip constitutingthe bars 10 cross'each other at their centers and arearranged at rightangles to each other in the same horizontal plane. That portion of theupper strip where it crosses or overlaps the lower strip is offsetupwardly aboveathe plane of the base to provide a notch or transversegroovethrough which the other strip extends, as shown in Fig. 2. I Byreason of this-construction, the lower surface of the-base of the standis flat and will rest firmly on the floor-or other supporting surface.

A Christmas tree holder or stand constructed as herein described and asshown in the drawings, is simple in its construction' and may be made ata low cost. Said holder or stand is efiicient in use and will receiveand support trees of varying sizes. By reason of the fact that the lowerend or base of the tree stands in water, the tree'is kept fresh andgreen and the needles or foliage thereof will not fall off of the tree,thus avoiding the necessity of sweeping around the tree .every day oroftener.

It is to be understood that the details of construction of the treeholder or stand illustrated may be changed or variously modified withoutdeparture from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to belimited to the features of construction herein described and shown,except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A tree holder, comprising a base, a waterreceptacle mounted on said base and adapted to receive the lower end ofthe trunk of a tree, a plurality of bracin members connected with saidbase, said racing members extending upwardly from said base and over andabove said receptacle, the upper end portions of said bracing membersbeing resilient, radially movable and adapted to be spread apart by thetrunk of a tree upon the insertion of the same therebetween and toyieldingly bear against the trunk of 5 said tree above the plane of saidbase; and means connecting said receptacle with said base for holdingsaid receptacle from lateral movement on said base.

2. A tree holder, comprising a base, a 100 Water receptacle mounted onsaid base and adapted to receive the lower end of the trunk of a tree, aplurality of bracing members connected with said base at the outermargin thereof, saidbracing members ex- 105 tending upwardly andinwardly from said base and over and above said receptacle, the upperend portions of said bracing-members being resilient, radially movableand adapted to be spread apart by the trunk of a tree 11o upon themsertion of the same therebetween and to yieldingly bear against thetrunk of said tree above said receptacle, an upright member secured tothe bottom wall of said receptacle and adapted to engage the lower 115end of the trunk of said tree, for vpreventing lateral movement thereofwith respect to said base, and means connecting said receptacle withsaid base for holding said receptacle from lateral movement on saidbase.

'3. A device of the character described, comprising a base, a bracing.member connected with and rising from said base, said member includingradially movable, resilicm parts adapted to surround and to yieldinglyengage the trunk of a tree above the plane of said base, and a waterreceptacle mounted on said base and in which the lower end of the trunkis located, said base being provided with integral upright parts adaptedto engage the side walls of said receptacle.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a base, a pluralityof elastic bracing members rising from said base, the upper end portionsof said bracing members being radially movable and adapted to be spreadapart upon the insertion of the trunk of a tree therebetween and toyieldingly engage the trunk of said tree, a water receptacle mounted onsaid base within said bracing members and in which the lower end of saidtrunk is adapted to be located, said base being provided with uprightparts adapted to engage said receptacle and hold the same from lateralmovement on said base, and means engaging the lower end of said trunk,to prevent lateral movement thereof with respect to said base.

In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of May, A. D.1913.

LUTHER E. PINER.

Witnesses:

EUGENE C. WANN TILLIE U. PINER.

